Exploring the fields in the Laotian village where she lived as a small child, Soulayvanh Beisel wasn’t afraid of anything – except snakes. Later, when war came closer, she and her family escaped to a refugee camp in Thailand. But the camp offered no permanent security and they fled again, this time to a small town in Kansas where no one looked like them and they had to start over. Yet one constant has sustained her throughout her journey.
I Am An American Live is a production of the award-winning nonprofit The Immigrant Story. The stories were presented live at The Patricia Reser Center for the Arts, Beaverton, OR on Saturday, May 11, 2024. This series of events is part of the programming by the Oregon Rises Above Hate coalition, with the aim of drawing attention to the historic xenophobia experienced by the Asian American community in Oregon and across the U.S.
This free event is made possible by a generous contribution by Anne Naito-Campbell. Additional funds for Programming have been provided by the City of Beaverton and OnPoint Community Credit Union.